Mike Thompson

DUBLIN — Fighting off last-ditch resistance, Irish lawmakers overwhelmingly passed a bill introducing free and legal abortion to a nation that was long a bastion of staunchly conservative Catholicism, seven months after voters repealed a constitutional ban on abortion.

An often heated session of the Parliament’s lower house on Wednesday had to be extended several times, as a small number of members — mainly independent conservatives — talked at length on dozens of amendments, almost all of which were voted down by large majorities. The bill’s opponents attempted to prolong the debate even further, which could have derailed the government’s plan to make abortion available in January.

Abortion guidelines for doctors will not be ready for rollout date
Peter Boylan says ‘inevitably, there will be problems’ and nobody should expect ‘perfection’ from service

Tue, Dec 4, 2018
Paul Cullen

Revised ethical guidelines for doctors on abortion and conscientious objection will not be ready in time for the planned rollout of termination services next month, it has emerged.

The Medical Council believes it is better to get the guidelines right rather than to rush them in time for the Government’s deadline for the introduction of abortion on January 1st, its president, Dr Rita Doyle, told a closed meeting of GPs.